Category: Lip Products

MAC Ultimate Lipstick ($23.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a new and permanent formula with a shade range of ten (in the U.S., three additional shades available in Asia). The press release doesn’t have any real information regarding the formula, so going off of past years’ Couture offerings, it seems like it should be a hydrating, pigmented lipstick. The released was pushed back from late Semptember to an October 29th (online) and December 1st (in-store) launch, but I’ve yet to see it make its online debut (and I don’t have any updates). Let’s hope they pop up online come the 1st, but nevertheless, here are reviews for three more shades from the range.

To recap: The formula feels very similar to the formula used for the Marcel Wanders’ lipsticks (which is also where the packaging is from). A few of the shades now made permanent were launched previously, too. They’re creamy with some slip, glide on without tugging, are lightly hydrating, and tend to be fairly pigmented with average to good wear. The price is noticeably higher than the standard MAC lipstick, though only a dollar more than the Mineralize Rich Lipstick formula. Worth noting, however, is that these are 50% larger than the standard MAC lipstick. The standard MAC lipstick is $160/oz., while the Ultimate lipstick is $153.33/oz. Of course, if you rarely get through half of a lipstick, then paying less will probably make you better off. Here’s a fun fact: only a $0.50 increase from the price in 2012 (based on Marcel Wanders)!

MAC Gunner Lipstick ($16.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “deep purple [with a Matte finish].” It’s a lightly brightened, dark purple with cool undertones and a satin finish. It had mostly opaque color coverage, and it applied fairly well (though not perfectly, I didn’t notice the imperfections at a normal viewing distance, only close-up). The consistency was lightly creamy and didn’t tug at the lips, but the finish isn’t truly matte as a result. It wore well for six and a half hours and left a fuchsia-like stain behind. It was a little drying over time. MAC Punk Couture (LE, $16.00) is lighter, warmer. Illamasqua Kontrol (P, $24.00) is more muted. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

MAC Runner Lipstick ($16.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “burgundy [with a Matte finish].” It’s a medium-dark, burgundy red with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It had mostly opaque pigmentation, but it didn’t look even when applied. There was something about it that looked almost grainy. The color itself wore really long (over six hours), but it was somewhat drying towards the last half of wear. I found it particularly troublesome to apply it from the tube, as it seemed prone to skipping. Tom Ford Beauty Black Dahlia (10) (LE, $50.00) is cooler-toned. MAC Fixed on Drama (LE, $16.00) is similar. MAC Endless Drama (P, $18.00) is darker. MAC Sin (P, $16.00) is similar. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

It’s semi-sheer with a milkier consistency, so it doessn’t go on evenly and has a tendency to slip into lip lines and settle. Due to the way it looks on its own, I think it is better layered over a lipstick or lip liner, so you can get the shimmery, glossy finish but manage the settling. It has a fair amount of sparkle and shine, but I think it could stay glossier for longer, as it seemed to lose a lot of shine within an hour and a half of wear. The gloss wore for a total of three hours for me and was nicely hydrating while I wore it.

It’s a new, limited edition shade for the holidays, and it’s festive in its own way. It makes me think New Year’s Eve with the shimmery finish, which makes it a bit different from some of the other beiges she has in the range. The color coverage was mostly opaque, and the consistency was lightly creamy with a light-to-medium-weight feel on the lips. It applied evenly and fairly smoothly, while the color itself lasted for four hours on me and was somewhat hydrating over time.

Charlotte Tilbury Love Bite Kissing Lipstick ($32.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a brightened, medium red with subtle, neutral-to-warm undertones and a luminous finish. I think this may look bluer-based on those with strong, cool undertones, but it seems more neutral to lightly warm-toned when I swatch it next to more distinctively blue-based lipsticks. It had rich, full color coverage that went on evenly and smoothly. This shade wore well for over six hours and left a stain behind. It was lightly hydrating over time and comfortable to wear. There are definitely a lot of similar shades within this type of finish (there are so many that I’ve omitted mattes, but I don’t doubt that there would be matte shades with a similar coloring). NARS Carmen (P, $32.00) is slightly warmer. NARS Rita (P, $32.00) is more muted. NARS Annabella (P, $32.00) is a touch more muted. Bite Beauty Grandifolia (LE, $28.00) is warmer. NARS Future Red (LE, $26.00) is similar. Maybelline Infra-red (LE, $7.49) is similar. Guerlain Gilda (P, $51.00) is warmer. Guerlain Gala (P, $51.00) is darker, cooler-toned. Buxom Provocateur (P, $21.00) is similar. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer ($8.99 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is supposed to deliver “true color clarity” with “vivid high-impact shine and a “lightweight feel” that is “never sticky.” The gloss has a creamy consistency to it that is a little gel-like, and though it doesn’t feel heavy, it is a thicker consistency. There’s a light tackiness to it initially, which I find develops to a noticeable tackiness after a couple of hours–if you don’t like thicker, tackier glosses, I don’t know that these are for you. The wear of these darker shades ended up being longer than average, which was nice, and I didn’t have issues with the gloss feathering, but I’m not prone to feathering, so your mileage may vary. I think a doe-foot applicator might have made the gloss easier to apply, because around the edges, the brush will splay out and give a more jagged edge, due to the thickness and spreadability of the gloss itself. There is a very subtle sweet scent, but it’s very, very hard to detect except in the tube. They weren’t drying on me, but they weren’t hydrating either.

From what I’ve heard (but I’m not in contact with Revlon, so this is an observation) and seen, this formula is replacing the ColorBurst Lipgloss range, which seems to be vanishing from online and my local displays are empty.